


Benefits of Lavender

by pixely



Series: Benefits of Lavender [1]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:42:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24126085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixely/pseuds/pixely
Summary: There's more that meets the eye to the infamous Shane. Lavender is just a little curious about him, though he may be rough on the edges, she can see he's not all bad.
Relationships: Shane & Player (Stardew Valley), Shane (Stardew Valley)/Original Character(s), Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Player (Stardew Valley)
Series: Benefits of Lavender [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1740811
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. One

The setting sun lit the sky a fiery orange on the horizon. The doors at JojaMart slid closed behind him. A robotic female voice on the speaker spoke:

“Thank you for joining us at JojaMart and thriving.”

He hid his hands in a worn-out JojaMart employee jacket. Though not due to many years of wear, but lack of quality — only acquired a few months ago. He passed an all too familiar bridge, towards an all too familiar path. He trudged his way towards The Stardrop Saloon, ready for the all too familiar buzz to forget reality.

\----

The movers waved their goodbyes as they left in their truck.

“Thank you!” she called out. She put down a box at the door as she waved back. Once she moved it inside she glanced around. There she was in her late Grandfather’s farmhouse. It was the first night of many she was going to spend here.  
Boxes of assorted sizes scattered throughout the house, of which she would have to sort later.

She flipped through Grandpa’s Journal. Planting seeds first thing tomorrow would be a priority. She’d have to clean up the farm and plow the land. Also, what kind of seeds? They’ll have them in stock at the store.

The store!

Her head whipped to the window. The sun was setting. She glanced at her watch. If she ran she could make it ten minutes before closing. She hated to be that kind of customer - especially on her first time visiting the store - but desperate times...

Throwing everything on the counter and ran out, slamming the door behind her.

“Since it’s your first day, this once,” Pierre smiled. But it wasn’t a sincere smile, one of those polite ones you give to a customer to keep their patronage. She bought more than she needed, just in case. And a bit more, to compensate the shopkeeper staying open a bit later than usual. She ushered her thanks twice more.

Once out the door, she sighed. She hoped she wasn’t going to be the town nuisance on her first day. She realized she had two boxes to carry, one full of seeds which was a little small but as heavy. And the other with gardening supplies - a hoe, a watering can, an axe, a scythe, and a pick-axe.

Well, it wasn’t going to make it to her house if she keeps staring at them. She lifted them, not without a struggle, and made her way home.

\---

On his familiar route, he saw an unfamiliar girl holding boxes that were too big for her frame. She was walking away from him and then pause, then she would start walking again. The box on top was lopsided. Before he could call out for her to watch out, the box had already fallen out of her hands. She fumbled, failing to catch both boxes which both fell with a thud and crash.

“Crap!”

One of the boxes was fine as it was taped up but the other box had things that fell out. An item had scattered towards him. It was an axe. He picked it up and walked to where she was kneeling, picking up her things.  
He held out the axe to her. She looked confused then looked up at him.

“Um, here,” he said flatly.

“Thank you,” her face lit up with a sincere smile as she took the axe. She placed it in the box. As she stood up she stumbled. He moved in front of her and reached out to stabilize her, quite aware he brushed against her hands as he held the middle of the box. Quickly, he went to hold the top of the box instead.

“Thanks, again,” she smiled sheepishly.

“Do you need help?” he asked.

She looked worried.

He regretted asking. A guy like him, of course she’d be wary. She probably thought he was a creep.

“Forget I asked,” he let go of the boxes and turned sharply towards the saloon.

“W-wait!” she called out after him and reached for his arm. In doing so the boxes started to fall.

Instinctively, he grabbed the top box as she stabled the other in her hands.

She sighed, exasperated but it didn’t look like it was at his expense, but at herself.

“I don’t want to bother you anymore than I already have. Thank you, again,” she gave him a small smile.

“It’s fine,” he said curtly and started towards her initial destination, towards the bus stop. He turned back to her and asked, “This way?”

She beamed and fell into step beside him.

A moment of silence passed.

“I’m Lavender, by the way.”

“Shane.”

Another moment.

“Thanks for helping me. Today has been such a mess.”

He looked at her. He felt the nervousness brought onto him in the presence of an attractive woman. Long brunette hair, bright violet eyes, and… a nice, plump chest— damn his stupid primitive instincts. Though, her shirt looked like it was two sizes too big for her. He looked away as he didn’t want to stare too long.

She talked about how she moved in today. The movers arrived two hours behind schedule due to the traffic to get out of the city, and strange roads to get here to Stardew Valley.

“Then, I made the shopkeeper stay open later than usual, so I bought a few more things to make up for it. But, then, I forgot to account for transporting the goods home,” she laughed sheepishly.

“I’m sure he’s more glad for your patronage,” he said. “Sounds like a busy day.” He said in an attempt to carry on the conversation.

“Yeah… maybe you’re right,” she said with a fire in her eyes. “How was your day?”

“Just work.”

She glanced at him.

“Ah, that explains the jacket. Sounds… fun,” her tone was flat. “Bet the manager is a real joy,” she flashed him her grin.

He couldn’t help but smile back.

“That confirms my theory that all JojaMart managers are pricks. My old manager was a real piece of work, too.”

“You’ve worked at Joja, too?”

“Yup,” her lips popped on the p.

“Yeah, working at Joja… wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy…” Shane shook his head.

Her laugh made Shane feel at ease, something he preferred over silence for once.

He recognized this path leading to a small cabin. He sometimes used this path to go home, as a change of pace. Also, because he didn’t want to run into anyone on the way home from the saloon. They would see how drunk he was, again, and the whispers gnawed at his conscience.

They reached her porch and he set the box down on top of the steps. He didn’t dare step up, afraid of overstepping his bounds.

She thanked him again and he told her it wasn’t a problem.

“I’m glad that I could be of help.”

“You definitely saved me time. Let me treat you to dinner some time.”

“No, it’s okay.” Definitely not. Once she knew what the townsfolk thought of him, she wouldn’t want to be anywhere close to him.

“Oh.. um,” she bit her lip in a way that Shane found… distracting.

"There’s no need,” he turned around. He took a few steps then paused. He craned his head towards her and muttered, “See ya.”

“Bye, Shane!” 

He savored the cheeriness in her voice. It’ll probably be the last time he’ll hear it. Once she gets to know the townspeople, he’ll know what they would say about him to her.  
Sighing, he knew it wasn’t their fault. What they say about isn’t not true. If he were different maybe they wouldn’t talk about him like that. If he didn’t exist, they wouldn’t be talking about him at all…  
Yoba, he needed that beer right now.


	2. Two

The next morning, Lavender was up early. But, this time she didn’t have a weight in her stomach dredging work. She had fun sowing the seeds though it wasn’t as neat as she preferred, as it didn’t look like the pictures in her grandfather’s journal.

Once in a while, she would take a break and breathe in the crisp fresh air. It was serene and her body felt light and clean. It was a stark contrast to the stuffy and stagnant Joja office air and flickering rectangular ceiling lights.

The sun was bright and clear. The sounds of the forest; the leaves of the trees rustling in the wind, the birds singing their morning song, was music to her ears.  
She realized this is what her life should be. 

Like grandfather, like granddaughter.

When she ran out of seeds to sow and water the garden, she went to the corner of her farm. There she had set up a shrine, of sorts, for her late grandfather. She lit a candle and thanked him for the opportunity for her to change her life. In her heart a pang of sadness ripples through. She was only young when he had passed and she wished she got to know him better, as a person.

Afterwards, she decided to go foraging and exploring. Hoping to find seeds or fruits or berries to bring home and try to cultivate. When her backpack was full, she went home. It was evening by then.

She decided to stop by the saloon for a break. And a drink. After a quick shower, she decided to wear something nice yet casual. It would be the first time she’d be there. It’d be good to leave a nice impression.

She picked out her favorite high-waist skirt, a loose sweater, and a pair of cute boots. No accessories needed, it wasn’t a fancy affair. She made sure she had her essentials in a small cross-body bag then headed out the door.

The butterflies in her stomach made her queasy. What if she didn’t belong and she’d be an outcast? But, at least, Shane was nice. He was easy to talk to. It’d be nice if he was there, because she’d have at least one person to talk to.

As she approached the saloon, she could hear the townsfolk. Pushing her worries aside, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Golden fluorescent light. A woody musk smell. It felt comfortable. A small town inn. The bell by the door rang, alerting the whole saloon of her presence. She ignored the stares and strode up to the counter.

“Well, hello there! I'm Gus, chef and owner of the Stardrop Saloon. Stop in if you need any refreshments. I've always got hot coffee and cold beer at the ready.” A man with a thick mustache beamed while rubbing a glass with a cloth.

“Hello, I’m Lavender,” she said as she took a seat. “And I’ll take a glass of red wine.”

“Ah, you must be the one who just moved into the Willowoak farmhouse. Word around here moves fast. Small towns.” He smiled apologetically. It seemed sincere.

Lavender gave him a small smile back, “Yup, that’s me.”

“Gus!” a voice at the end of the bar croaked. A middle aged woman with a perm held up her glass. Gus waved affirmatively.

“Emily will be right up with your beverage. Please relax and enjoy yourself,” he said and sauntered off.

Lavender scouted the room. To her left was Gus and the perm lady. Behind them was a red-head young woman with a braid over her shoulder. She looked to be in her own world. She remembered as she walked in she saw a man near the door, in overalls and covered in soot. In the far room was a game area with a pool table and a couple arcade machines. It was occupied by a few people.

Then in the corner of her eye she saw a mop of hair with a purplish tinge by the fireplace. She wasn’t sure since his back was facing her but it must be Shane. Before she could work up the courage to go over to him, her beverage appeared in front of her brought by the waitress. A young woman with electric blue hair and bright lipstick.

“Ooh!... I can read it on your face. You're going to love it here in Pelican Town,” her bubbly demeanor was hard to resist and Lavender couldn’t help but smile back.

“Yeah, I think so, too.”

“I’m Emily. If you're ever looking for something to do in the evening, stop by the Saloon. I’ll be here.”

“How long have you been working here?”

“A few years now. I live with my younger sister. We were born in the city but moved here when we were teenagers. I’ve been working here ever since I was old enough. Our parents moved back to the city now but I like it here. My sister, though, I think she prefers the city. What about you? What brings you here?”

“Just needed a change of scenery. The place I’ve moved into, it used to be my grandfather’s.”

“Joe Willowoak, right?”

“You knew him?”

“Oh, yes. The whole town loved him. He was very kind and gentle. He loved participating in all the festivals. Him and Mayor Lewis were good friends.”

Hearing about how her grandfather was loved made her happy. She was glad that he was kind as she remembered him. She buried the pang of guilt deep in her heart.

“I used to visit my Grandpa a lot when I was younger. But not so much as I grew older. He and my parents had a falling out. By the end, I don't think they ever managed to make peace. I’m surprised you even remember him. It’s been almost ten years.”

“He would always make a racket at festivals, but it was all good fun. Besides festivals, he kept to himself most of the time.”

A sudden clunk at the end of the bar made Lavender jump.

“Emily, another round.” It was Shane and his words were slurring. He eyed his empty beer glass.

“Shane, have you met Lavender?” Emily asked.

Lavender’s breath stopped as Shane looked up and met her eyes. Lavender gave him a small wave. 

He gazed at her then promptly ignored her and turned around to walk back to his spot by the fireplace.

Lavender’s heart squeezed as loneliness washed over her.

Emily sighed sadly, “He’s always like this. I’ve been trying to get him to open up more. It’s not working very well. Sorry about that. Don’t take it personally.” Emily smiled sadly.

“Thanks for the drink. And the conversation. It was great meeting you.” Lavender placed down a bill, more than enough to cover the drink and tip. 

“Sure thing. Come by anytime. Let me get your change.”

“Wait…”

—

Shane watched the fire embers float up and disappear. He didn’t expect her to look the way that she did. His breath had gotten caught in his chest. He took a gulp of his beer, freshly brought by Emily.

Maybe he should have said something. He was too rude, ignoring her like that. But it was probably for the best, for her reputation — consorting with the town drunk? What a joke.

It was about time he left. He didn’t need to check the time. It was all routine and he just knew. He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket while walking up to the counter.

Emily looked up from wiping the counters to him.

“Oh, your tab is already taken care of. Tips and all,” she beamed.

That was a surprise. Gus never put anything on the house before unless it was someone’s birthday. Even then, it’s just one drink, not their whole tab.

“Really? Gus put it all on the house?”

“Oh, no. Pfft,” Emily waved her hand dismissively. “It wasn’t Gus. It was Lavender. She told me to tell you thanks for yesterday.”

“Oh.”

“So, you *have* met her.” Emily smirked at him. “Why didn't you say hi?”

Yes, why did he? Probably because he was pathetic? Not worth talking to? Not very interesting? All of the above?

Shane shrugged, and slid away, “See ya.”

“Have a good night!” Emily called out behind him and the door clattered shut. Emily turned around to clean the sink and then sighed. She wished she could help Shane more with his struggles. Maybe he was stressing about work? Tomorrow, she’ll wear her blue crystal necklace for him. It gives off an aura that helps de-stress and help calm people’s minds. Perfect, she smiled to herself and hummed while she cleaned.


End file.
